FRAZEYSBURG, Ohio — The Ohio Young Farmers (OYF) will host the 40th annual National Institute Dec. 6-9, bringing more than 450 Young Farmers from across the country to Columbus to learn more about Ohio’s agricultural industry - and how they can apply what they see to their own operations.

During the 2006 Institute, the OYF will showcase agriculture and agribusiness in Franklin, Fairfield and Coshocton counties. On Wednesday the attendees will tour the OSU stadium, the Ohio Historical Society and end the day at the Columbus Zoo for the winter light show.

Thursday’s tours will showcase Fairfield County farms and production agriculture in Ohio. The tour will begin at P-ville Enterprises, one of Ohio’s premier grain farms, consisting of 1,300 acres of corn, 1,300 acres of soybeans and 400 acres of wheat. The farm is owned by the Miller family, which has been repeatedly recognized for their farming excellence. Jim won the 1987 National Corn Growers No-Till Award as well as the 1990 and 1992 Ohio No-Till Corn Growers awards. In 2002 and 2004, Jon won the Ohio Conventional Corn Growers Award.

From there, attendees will visit Grube Farms, a 1,600-acre corn and soybean farm operated by Karl and Judy Grube along with their son Greg and his wife Dawn. Karl was recognized as the 1975 Ohio Young Farmer of the Year.

Conference participants will then visit Saum farms, a 30-acre Christmas tree enterprise that began in 1982 as well as a producer of foliage products, corn, soybeans, wheat, sweet corn, three acres of pumpkins and a 2,400-head contract hog feeding operation.

Other stops in Fairfield County will include Beery Farms, an 800-acre corn, soybean, wheat and hay operation that also boasts 200 beef cows and feeds out 200 calves each year; and Claypool Farms, a 2,750-acre grain operation as well as Ag Crop Services, an independent spraying business that sprayed 18,000 acres in 2005.

The final stop of the day will be Lamp Family Farms, a three-generation, three-county operation with 3,100 acres in production.
This 2000 Ohio Conservation Farm of the Year has been a 100 percent no-till operation for 15 years.

On Friday, the institute attendees will travel to Coshocton County to visit agribusinesses. Stops will include Annin and Company, the world’s oldest and largest flag manufacturer; Smurfit-Stone, the industry’s leading integrated manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging; an AEP Power Plant; Kraft Foods and the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed, a USDA outdoor laboratory for land and water management research.

Saturday’s Institute activities will take place at the headquarters, the Columbus Marriott North. Highlights will include the Ag Decision Makers College, the Spokesperson Luncheon and the Closing banquet with the entertainment to be David Lee Murphy.

John Schiefer of the Mohawk Chapter is serving as the chairman of the Institute. The Ohio Institute Committee is made of OYF members from across the state. For more information on the Ohio Young Farmers, Inc., please contact the OYF Office at 740-828-3832 or go to www.ohioyoungfarmers.com to learn more about the Institute.

Registration for the institute is $325 for those not already registered, with single-day rates of $55 for Wednesday, $90 for Thursday, $95 for Friday, and $130 for Saturday. Registration is also available for single-event functions, and more information can be found online.

The National Young Farmer Educational Assoc. is the official adult student organization for agricultural education as recognized by the United States Department of Education.

As an association that educates agricultural leaders, NYFEA unites members from individual farmers to large cooperatives.

With the help of sponsors, NYFEA provides programs, institutes, and community service, fulfilling their mission to educate agricultural leaders through leadership training, agricultural education and community service opportunities.

This farm news was published in the Nov. 29, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.